2020-2021 LECTURE SERIES
Nutrition, Kinesiology and Health Departments
This lecture series, jointly hosted by the Department of Nutrition and the Department of Kinesiology & Health, was developed and organized by Drs. Rafaela G. Feresin (Nutrition) and Brett Wong (Kinesiology & Health). The impetus for developing this lecture series was based on recognizing: 1) there are similar research interests across both departments, 2) there is no formal lecture/seminar series in either department, and 3) there may be limited opportunities for faculty and students to engage with professionals in their field due to the pandemic. Furthermore, the increased use of virtual platforms, such as WebEx, to organize and deliver presentations, made it more feasible to bring in a diverse set of speakers from different parts of North America. The aim of this lecture series is to bring in renowned speakers with research interests that bridge both departments to bring new perspectives and to stimulate research ideas. We are excited that you are joining us and we hope you enjoy the lectures by these distinguished research scientists.
Lecture Series Schedule
Date
Speaker
Mike Ormsbee, Ph.D., FACSM, FISSN, CSCS
Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition, Food & Exercise Sciences
Associate Director, Institute of Sports Sciences & Medicine
Florida State University
Michael J. Ormsbee, Ph.D., FACSM, FISSN, CSCS*D
Presentation Title: Pre-sleep nutrition & performance
This lecture will update the audience with current literature and trends in pre-sleep nutrition for both athletes and clinical populations. Eating before sleep to optimize muscle protein synthesis, metabolism, body composition, recovery, and performance will be examined. The audience will understand how to apply practical evidence-based research on pre-sleep nutrition to athletes and clinical populations to optimize health, body composition and performance.
Carla Prado Ph.D., RD
Professor
CAIP Chair in Nutrition, Food & Health
Director, Human Nutrition Research Unit
University of Alberta
Dr. Carla Prado
Dr. Prado is an expert in assessing nutritional status through the precise measurement of body composition and energy metabolism. Her research has shown for the first time the prevalence and clinical implications of sarcopenic obesity (concurrent appearance of low muscle and high fat) in cancer and has provided evidence of the independent effect of body composition on cancer recurrence, treatment and survival. The focus of her current research program is to develop targeted nutrition interventions for the prevention and treatment of low muscle mass in patients with cancer. She is currently the Principal Investigator of three randomized controlled trials investigating the impact of nutrition intervention on body composition and health.
Dr. Prado holds a dietitian title from both Canada and Brazil. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Alberta, Canada, and has completed further training at the CrossCancer Institute (Canada), the National Institutes of Health (USA) and Newcastle University (UK). She is currently a member of the GLIM Body Composition Working Group and the Sarcopenic Obesity Consensus Group (ESPEN/EASO). She is an Associate Editor of Clinical Nutrition and the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle. Dr. Prado is a recipient of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, a prestigious award that celebrates exceptional young Canadian leaders of all sectors.
Presentation Title: Body Composition: When Body Weight Fails to Predict Health Risk
Body composition (BC) refers to the amounts of muscle and adipose tissues in the human body and is fundamental in assessing nutritional status. Abnormalities in BC such as low muscle mass with or without excess adiposity are independent predictors of poorer prognosis in a variety of health conditions and clinical situations across the continuum of care. Alterations in BC can result from, result in or influence the natural history of human health disorders. This lecture will address the prevalence and relevance of abnormal BC, particularly focusing on low muscle mass across the continuum of care. Recent technological developments and emerging techniques that can be explored in research and clinical settings will be discussed. Both clinical and overall health-related impact of abnormal BC will be explored, as well as its implication to current nutritional recommendations.
Brad Wilkins, Ph.D.
Professor of Human Physiology
Gonzaga University
Dr. Brad Wilkins
Dr. Wilkins has over 20 years of experience in exercise and sport physiology research, with a decade of experience translating and applying insights gleaned from scientific research to product innovation and business strategy. He has a unique perspective; integrating what he has learned from experience as an academic scientist, educator, innovator, industry scientist, and business leader. As an accomplished scientist at Nike, Dr. Wilkins held a number of scientific and business leadership positions. Brad founded the Nike+ Sport Performance Laboratory, translating innovative science at the forefront of wearable digital technology development. During this time, Brad led a diverse team of scientists and algorithm engineers to develop impactful data driven solutions, using hardware and data platforms, to understand and improve human performance and health. As Director of the Next Generation Research Team, Brad led the team exploring the bleeding edge of sport product research and development. Most recently, Dr. Wilkins led a creative and integrated strategy to attempt one of the greatest endeavors in human endurance performance; Nike’s Breaking2 project.
Brad is a student of creative innovation strategies and the integration of scientific exploration in the process of inventing new solutions that push boundaries. He is an advocate for scientific exploration and the proliferation of scientific integrity in the sport products industry, and an educator of young scientists (exploring career impact outside of academia) and young sport product industry professionals (promoting critical and creative thinking strategies).
Presentation Title: Translating Science at the Boundaries of Human Potential
What physiological limits define the boundaries of human performance or our shared human potential? A century of scientific research has explored and described the physiological underpinnings defining human “limits”. Yet, every ‘impossible’ achievement re-writes the narrative defining human physiological or physical boundaries. Using the 2-hour marathon barrier as an example, this seminar will examine the application of our collective scientific knowledge at the margins of human physical capabilities. We will explore the translation of scientific research and physiological insights to remove the barriers, as opposed to simply define the ‘limits’, that constrain true human potential.
January 15
Jill Barnes, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Kinesiology
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dr. Jill Barnes
Successful aging is living without chronic, debilitating diseases and conditions that are typically associated with advancing age. With an expanding aging population, identifying at-risk individuals is key to the prevention and promotion of successful aging. The Barnes Lab of the Bruno Balke Biodynamics Laboratory investigates potential risk factors for both cardiovascular disease and dementia. In addition, these studies will help identify therapeutic strategies that prevent or delay the onset of disease and will ultimately improve the quality of life in aging populations.
The primary focus of our research is to understand the effect of aging on blood flow regulation in humans and how this relates to the risk of cardiovascular disease and dementia. Barnes is specifically interested in how age-associated changes in the structure and function of blood vessels and sympathetic nervous system activity influence the control of blood flow to the brain. In addition, her research focuses on how lifestyle modifications may prevent, and how chronic diseases accelerate, these negative consequences of aging on brain blood flow regulation.
Presentation Title: TBA
February 12
David C. Nieman, DrPH, FACSM
Professor
Department of Biology
Appalachian State University
David C. Nieman, DrPH, FACSM
David Nieman is a professor in the Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, at Appalachian State University, and director of the Human Performance Lab at the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) in Kannapolis, NC. Dr. Nieman is a pioneer in the research area of exercise and nutrition immunology and helped establish that 1) regular moderate exercise lowers upper respiratory tract infection rates while improving immunosurveillance, 2) heavy exertion increases infection rates while causing transient changes in immune function, and 3) that carbohydrate and flavonoid ingestion by athletes attenuates exercise-induced inflammation. Dr. Nieman’s current work is centered on investigating unique nutritional products as countermeasures to exercise- and obesity-induced immune dysfunction, inflammation, illness, and oxidative stress using a multi-omics approach. Dr. Nieman has received more than $10.8 million in research grants and published more than 370 peer-reviewed publications in journals and books. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the sports nutrition section of the journals Nutrients and Frontiers in Nutrition, and sits on 10 journal editorial boards including Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, and the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. Dr. Nieman’s Google Scholar h-index is 101, and his publications have been cited more than 37,000 times. He is the author of nine books on health, exercise science, and nutrition, including Nutritional Assessment (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2019, now in its 7th edition). Dr. Nieman served as vice-president of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), president of SEACSM, and two terms as president of the International Society of Exercise and Immunology. Dr. Nieman received the “100 Scholars Faculty Research Award” from ASU in 1997, the Montoye Scholar Award from the Southeastern American College of Sports Medicine in 2006, the ASU College of Fine and Applied Arts researcher of the year award in 2006, ACSM’s Citation Award in 2013, and represented ASU four times as the Oliver Max Gardner nominee (ASU’s highest award). He was an acrobatic gymnast and coach for 10 years and has run 58 marathons (PR 2:37) and ultramarathons.
List of My Published Work in MyBibliography:
Publications and ResearchGate Profile:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David_Nieman
Presentation Title: TBA
March 12
Elisabet Borsheim, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Co-Interim Director, Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center
University for Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Elisabet Børsheim, PhD
The overall aim of Børsheim’s research is to promote metabolic health from early life and across the lifespan. Her research program focuses on the effects of nutrition and exercise on optimal growth, development and health in children and in the prevention of metabolic disorders later in life. Her team is using stable isotope methodology to study energy and substrate metabolism.
She has a B.Sc. in natural sciences and an M.Sc. in physiology from the University of Oslo, Norway, in addition to a B.Sc. in sport sciences and a Ph.D. in exercise physiology from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences. She did postdoctoral training and continued as faculty at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Tex., before joining UAMS in 2013.
Presentation Title: TBA
April 23
Scott Ferguson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Kinesiology & Exercise Sciences
University of Hawai’i at Hilo
Dr. Scott Ferguson
Scott’s recent research focuses on hypoxia and physical function. Hypoxia (lack of oxygen) represents an underlying feature of many cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. His research focuses on disease-induced central and peripheral derangements in cardiovascular and metabolic function and how these cause hypoxia and derail physical functionality. More specifically, he is interested in oxygen delivery and skeletal muscle contractile and metabolic function as it relates to the exercise tolerance of patient populations and those exposed to environmental stressors (e.g., altitude and heat/cold stress).
Presentation Title: TBA
May 7
Jaume Padilla, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Nutrition & Exercise Physiology
University of Missouri
Dr. Jaume Padilla
Presentation Title: TBA
June 11
Austin Robinson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
School of Kinesiology
Auburn University
Austin Robinson, Ph.D.
Post-Doc, University of Delaware, 2016-2019
Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago, 2016
M.S., University of Illinois at Chicago, 2012
B.S., University of Indianapolis, 2010
NEUROVASCULAR PHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY
Mission Statement
The Neurovascular Physiology Laboratory (NVPL) at Auburn University seeks to determine integrative strategies to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease, the number one cause of death in America. We use a comprehensive approach to study blood vessel function and neural control of blood pressure in healthy adults and patient populations. Specifically, we are interested in studying the physiological responses to lifestyle interventions, such as exercise, diet, and pharma/nutraceuticals.
Lab Vision
- The NVPL seeks to create awareness of cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment strategies through publishing in peer-reviewed scientific journals and presenting at research conferences.
- We want to help mentor and train the next generation of top scientists and health care practitioners.
- We also prioritize helping individuals in the community at large understand the importance of cardiovascular health and healthy lifestyle habits.
Current Research Interests
- Investigating racial differences in neurovascular function in response to high dietary salt.
- Determining the role of lifestyle (e.g., physical activity, diet, and sleep) in contributing to blood vessel function and neural control of blood pressure.
- Investigating the contribution of oxidative stress (high levels of free radicals) on autonomic control of the circulation.
Presentation Title: TBA
Co-chairs
Dr. Rafaela G. Feresin
Assistant Professor
Nutrition
Dr. Brett Wong
Associate Professor
Kinesiology and Health